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The San Rafael police department said it is investigating reports of sexual misconduct between a high school teacher and three students at Marin Academy.

The thing that makes this story different from other similar cases is the fact the the alleged misconduct happened 30 years ago, but the school said it just recently became aware of it.

San Rafael police said the school contacted investigators this week to report what an independent investigator learned after a private investigation.

The school fired the teacher who had been employed at Marin Academy for the past 35 years. Neither the school nor the police department are identifying the man who has not been arrested.

Marin Academy is still in the summer break, but school officials told NBC Bay Area that officials will talk to students about what happened when the school year begins.

In a statement to the Marin Independent Journal, the school explained how the story came to light: "We recently learned that a teacher at Marin Academy was apparently involved in inappropriate relationships with students some 30 years ago. As soon as we became aware of the allegations, we brought in independent counsel to investigate. He confronted the individual, who admitted to conduct which constituted an unacceptable betrayal of trust with three former female students. We have notified the appropriate authorities and terminated his employment. We also instructed him to have no contact with students or anyone else in the Marin Academy community."

Classes begin at Marin Academy August 28. It is a small school with only 400 students. The school website boasts of a student to faculty ratio of 9:1 with the average class size of 15 students.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Justin Graham at 415-485-3026 or Detective Sergeant Michael Vergara at 415-485-3195.